The Foundation Stone

A Personal Reflection on the Abramelin

I want to speak about the Abramelin, without going into personal details. Sacred experiences are not meant for public discussion, and there is no benefit in arguing with those who take pleasure in dismissing the experiences of other people. Although I have walked this path for two decades, I never considered undertaking the Abramelin until two friends, independent of one another, suggested I do it. I had been working with Suhrawardi for several months, so their suggestion felt rather synchronous.

I began the operation in the fall, even though the time of Passover is traditional. Given my family and our business, becoming a monk wasn’t going to happen. I don’t believe monasticism should be treated as a requirement. In fact, I think it can become a permission slip to not do it. “I can’t be a monk for eighteen months” can become a mantra for those who have surrendered before even beginning.

From the beginning, experiences began to unfold. Each night as I went to bed, an intense, almost-overwhelming spiritual presence, that I came to describe as “the Angel shining its light upon me,” would show up. I also had instructional dreams and synchronicities while I was awake. Much of the operation became a process of confession, dealing with guilt and remorse I had held onto for too long. Other aspects focused on diet, exercise, and physical discipline. I spent a great deal of time biking through the hills of northern Pennsylvania. In short, a significant portion of the work involved clearing out old burdens, both emotional and physical, so that something new could take shape.

Several months into the operation, I had a hemiplegic migraine severe enough to put me in the hospital for a week. The doctors suspected a minor stroke at first, until an MRI confirmed that was not the case. Yet the moment I returned home, the voice of the Angel demanded I resume the work, despite the temptation to postpone it until I felt well again.

The First Three Days

I used the instructions the Angel gave me during the twelve months to create a ritual. I had planned to complete the full eighteen months, but a six-day window opened when I would be home alone. I felt an overwhelming sense that this was the right time, whether or not I felt prepared. I gathered the robes and incense, and despite lingering uncertainties, I went ahead with it.

The first three days were spent confessing sins and performing the ritual I had prepared. I also called upon the principal archangels associated with the Supernal Triad to support the operation. I won’t go into the details of what occurred, but it was no more spectacular than the experiences that had come before.

The Kings & Dukes of Hell

On one hand, I view Christian demons in a similar fashion to how the Platonists viewed chthonic daemons. These are the gods and demigods of the underworld, part of the cosmic order rather than cartoon villains. But on the other hand, as someone who survived religious trauma, I felt that binding the kings and dukes might be cathartic. Seeing them as the BBEGs (Big Bad Evil Guys) of the Christian imagination was helpful. I was nervous about this stage of the retreat, because of what I refer to as the “Exorcist Effect.” But I knew it was a step I had to take.

Without going into excessive detail, I would argue that Lucifer, as a daemon of glamour, vanishes the moment one ceases to be impressed. I might have been more immune because vain people don’t impress me. Leviathan might be a shadow in the deep, but it is a shadow without teeth. This shows that the nephesh is more obedient than most people assume. The coiled instincts might stir, but do not strike. Leviathan felt alien and eldritch, like a Great Old One from the Cthulhu Mythos.

Satan, however, put up more of a fight, making accusations and attempting to frighten me with visual disturbances. Belial was a beguiler and trickster, yet retreated like a whipped cur. So much for rebellion against the divine order. The devils are conquered when they submit without parley.

But mark this well: the devils submit because you have invoked the Angel.

The Foundation Stone

I am still metabolizing the operation, and like most initiations, it takes time to digest. For me, much of the conversation aspect has taken the form of corrective guidance. During moments of inner dialogue, the Angel often finishes my sentences with gentle correction. But when I’m acting like a bit of a jerk, I might receive a stern, single-word reprimand that snaps me back into place.

The biggest thing I have noticed, so far, has been a complete shift in focus. Things I neglected have become more important. Things I thought were important do not seem to be as much. There has been an immense inner reorientation.

I was shown that the Abramelin is not a crown placed on the Adept’s head to mark them as exceptional. Instead, it is the laying of a cornerstone, the true beginning of building one’s personal temple to the gods. This temple is constructed, stone by stone, under the Angel’s guidance.

The number four represents the square, the pyramid, and the temple founded upon the Earth. Before the Abramelin, the soul is like a wanderer living in a tent; afterward, it becomes a high priest living in private quarters within the temple. Each theurgical act that follows becomes a deliberate elevation aligned to a star in the heavens. Each act done in accordance with the Angel sets another stone in place. Each act born of confusion or pride loosens the mortar.

Let no one deceive you with tales of fireworks. Such things do happen but are often the baubles of children and the snares of the unbalanced. The true sign of success is a life that conforms more to its proper form. Do not chase spectacle. Instead, attend to the steadiness of angelic guidance and the quiet correction of thought. When the storm has passed and the air grows still, that is when the temple has found its foundation.